section7mfu | The Calm Before the Storm - Short Affair

Prompts - Home / Blue
Word Count - 403

You can find the story below the cut,or you can follow the link to AO3

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22338502.

The beautiful blue of the sky reflected itself on the gently lapping water of the ocean. The same blue could be found in the eyes of the man sitting in t-shirt sleeves on the warm sand. His lightweight black jacket was discarded beside him. Illya Kuryakin watched as the tide slowing receded, leaving more and more sand exposed. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and the gentlest of breezes took the edge from the heat of the sun.

Illya closed his eyes and smiled softly; feeling wonderfully peaceful and free. There had been a time, long ago, when the idea of sitting and exposing his pale skin to the sun was unthinkable. Back home, Illya had seen the sun, but the summers were shorter, and not as hot. Those times he had allowed the sun to touch his skin, he had been burned red in no time.

“What are you doing out here?” asked Napoleon Solo, emerging from the beach shack behind Illya.

“Enjoying the calm before the storm.”

The pair had based themselves in the shack two days previously in order to reconnoitre the surrounding area. They had been sent to locate and destroy a Thrush laboratory and, although it a fairly standard mission, it would still be fraught with danger.

“I know you’re a pessimist, Tovarisch,” Solo replied, as he sat down beside his partner. “But calling the mission a storm might be overstating it a little. There’s every chance you might not get injured this time.”

The look Illya flashed at his partner could have frozen the warm waters in front of them, but he didn’t rise to the taunt. He was determined to stay as relaxed as he could until it was time to get the adrenaline flowing.

The two men sat in a friendly silence for several minutes; each with their eyes closed, and feeling the warmth of the sun soaking through to their bones. Unfortunately, Napoleon knew he was going to have to burst the tranquil bubble around them.

“Have you prepped everything you need,” he asked.

“Almost,” Illya replied, without opening his eyes. “How long before we leave?”

“Half an hour.”

Illya drew in a deep breath and slowly let it back out. Suddenly, the relaxed man was gone, and the ready-for-anything agent was back. He jumped to his feet and, scooping up his jacket, he stalked into the shack to finish preparing his equipment.

.